May 13, 2012

Chosen in the second round
of the 1973 NFL draft by the Los Angeles Rams, Jaworski saw little action in
his first three years, most notably leading LA to a playoff win over the
Cardinals in 1975. Dissatisfied with the lack of playing time, he refused to
accept a contract extension and was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles for the
1977 season. Installed as the starting quarterback by Head Coach Dick Vermeil,
Jaworski developed along with the team, hearing plenty of boos from frustrated
fans but also showing a gritty determination and vocal leadership, as well as
ability. The Eagles reached the postseason in 1978 with a 9-7 record and again
in ’79 at 11-5 and Jaworski threw for 2668 yards and 18 TD passes.

Eagles went 12-4 to finish first
in the NFC East and with the best record in the conference. Won NFC Divisional
playoff over Minnesota Vikings (31-16) and NFC Championship over Dallas Cowboys
(20-7). Lost Super Bowl to Oakland
Raiders (27-10).

Aftermath:

The Eagles got off to a 6-0
start in 1981 but slumped in the second half of the season and lost in the Wild
Card round of the playoffs. “The Polish Rifle” threw for 3095 yards and 23 TD
passes, but also saw his interception total rise from 12 to 20. The team slid
into mediocrity, Vermeil departed, but Jaworski lasted in Philadelphia until 1986. His then-record
string of 116 consecutive starts at quarterback came to an end when he suffered
a broken leg during the 1984 season. He came back to pass for 3450 yards for
the 7-9 Eagles in ’85, but with the arrival of Buddy Ryan as head coach in
1986, he began to yield playing time to Randall Cunningham. Jaworski backed up
Dan Marino with the Dolphins in ’88 and started three games for Kansas City in 1989, his
final season. At the time of his departure from the Eagles, he was the
franchise leader in most major passing categories and, for his overall career, threw
for 28,190 yards with 179 TD passes against 164 interceptions.

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MVP Profiles feature players who were named MVP or Player of the Year in the NFL,
AAFC (1946-49), AFL (1960-69), WFL (1974), or USFL (1983-85) by a recognized
organization (Associated Press, Pro Football Writers Association, Newspaper
Enterprise Association, United Press International, The Sporting News, Maxwell
Club – Bert Bell Award, or the league itself).